Interestingly, the shoot-to-kill order comes a couple of months after the High Court of the state of Uttarakhand declared to treat members of the animal kingdom the same as human beings. The animals, terrestrial or aquatic, are legal entities with “corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person”.

“Animals breathe like us and have emotions. The animals require food, water, shelter, normal behavior, medical care, self-determination,” cites the judgement of the court on 4 July.

In 2016, even before the state came out with this judgement, Uttarakhand had ordered a stop to declaring tigers and leopards as man-eaters. However, unable to get hold of animals responsible for human deaths because of harsh terrains and difficulty in setting up traps, the state ultimately resorts to shooting the animal.